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I’ve had a rough week. I spent my time wisely in France making fairly good food choices. I indulged by normal person standards, but I didn’t lose control. Does that make sense? When old Melissa thinks about “indulging” all kinds of odd mental images come to mind, none of which involve taking steps necessary to maintain a healthy weight. So I utilize the “normal person” illustration. Who knows if she exists, maybe that is yet another fantasy I cling to?

I digress; it’s not the first time. Anyway, while I traveled I was quite diligent with my eating. I arrived home just three or four pounds above where I left. I considered that a huge success since I spent two and a half weeks immersed in a culture renowned for its culinary delights!

I returned and I began what I have come to identify as decompression eating. I don’t know what the hell that is about, but I seem to have the inclination to eat as I relax and get cozy in the familiarity of my life as I have come to know it. The problem with all that is that it doesn’t make my pants feel too damn comfy! Since I no longer have any elastic stretchy drawers hanging in my closet, I cannot conduct myself in this manner with reckless abandon!

Without much grief I gave myself a few days to re-acclimate, but poor habits carried me through the weekend. Thankfully, I shut the valve down the first of the week, but that left me in a state of sugar and carb withdrawal. This is Day Three so I should be feeling better soon, but as I sit here on April Fool’s Day I wonder who played the trick on me.

Progress Melissa. It’s about the progress. I goofed, but I recognized it and got back on track. The first of the week I was pissed about it and I really wanted to just give up! I knew I wouldn’t, but the childish thoughts were just beneath the surface. Today, I’m mature enough to realize I just need to hang on until my mind makes the switch again to embrace a healthy lifestyle, instead dragging along begrudgingly, which is what I’ve been doing for the past three days. I keep myself busy and distracted until the last of the cravings subside. Even that I suppose is growth.

I like that giving up is no longer an option. Good things happened in all areas of my life when I clinched this. Not that I’ve ever been a quitter, but there was something about achieving this success that made me realize other things could be accomplished using the same approach. Maybe it is because losing weight seemed literally impossible, but once I committed to the process and experienced success, it awakened other areas of my life.

I set small realistic goals, evaluate actions, readjust when necessary, glean insight from missteps and move forward. This works in all areas of my life. I never dreamed that would be the biggest payoff of all!